July 9, 2013

The number of people worldwide living with dementia is currently estimated, by the World Health Organization (WHO), to be about 36 million. By 2050 this number will most likely have tripled, making the number of people with dementia slightly smaller than the current population of Mexico. Quite a scary prospect.

Alzheimer’s Research UK believe that 25 million of the UK population have a close friend or family member with dementia. That’s about three times the population of London. As you can see, when it comes to dementia, we’re talking huge numbers.

The word dementia is used to describe a set of symptoms, including memory loss, mood changes and problems with communication and reasoning. Dementia often gets confused with the natural ageing process. However, it’s actually caused by diseases of your brain, the most common being Alzheimer’s disease. (more…)